The brand new for 2026 American Express presents Roundhay Festival brought a star-studded line-up to West Yorkshire crowds, with headline sets from Miami rapper Pitbull and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi and was a big success for its debut year.
The festival at Roundhay Park in Leeds builds on Roundhay’s rich musical history, which includes shows from The Rolling Stones (1982), Genesis and Madonna (1987), Michael Jackson (1988), and U2 (1997). The park’s natural amphitheater bowl shape feels tailor-made for concerts.
On Friday, Pitbull brought a huge party, with thousands arriving in the customary Pitbull uniform (a bald cap, black tie and white button-up shirt). When the Grammy-winning rapper took to the stage, “Don’t Stop The Party” transformed the entire park grounds into an all-out fiesta.
The global superstar was grinning from behind his black sunglasses, bouncing around with latex-clad backup dancers as he performed cuts like “Hotel Room Service2, “Gasolina” and “I Know You Want Me”. The rapper brought out Lil Jon, singing three tracks together before thanking his long-time comrade: “This man believed in me, gave me an opportunity and showed me love 25 years ago… thank you, Lil Jon”.
The set included songs with lyrics in both English and Spanish, but the rapper expressed his gratitude for “the most important, universal language of all: music!”
“I wanna say thank you to all the baldies – I see you!” Pitbull grinned. “When you put on those bald caps, you know you’re about to have the TIME. OF. YOUR. LIVES!”
Jason Derulo delivered his typical cocktail of charm and sex appeal. From “Sexy For Me” to “Wiggle”, the American singer pulled out all the stops, dancing his heart out along with his backup dancers, whether belting along to “Whatcha Say” or lifting his tank top to belly roll during “Swalla”.
Tinie Tempah knocked out an “Earthquake” of a set. From the cheeky lyric alteration in “Pass Out: “I’ve been to Leeds, but I’ve never been to Scunthorpe”, to “Written In The Stars”, it was a total crowd sing-along. The London lad debuted new song, “Rude, hinting at more Tinie to come soon.
Opening on a montage in honour of Lil Jon’s late son, Nathan Smith (DJ Young Slade), the King of Crunk’s set started off on a sombre note. But Lil Jon wanted his performance to be a celebration – and it absolutely was. From “Turn Down For What” to “Get Low”, his signature “Yeah!” carried the crowd through his riotously fun blend of hip hop and EDM. “I’ve never been to Leeds before…but I heard you party f*cking hard… so let’s party!” he said.
Over on the East Stage, Jazzie Martian treated crowds to his own brand of hip-hop, which blends elements of R&B, rap, pop, rock and dancehall. Playing tracks from his latest release, “Ghetto Chandelier”, his unique sound easily won over crowds. “Leeds is a place that embraces a lot of different music and different genres,” the rising star commented. “As a newcomer into the festival scene, it was amazing to see how much Roundhay embraced and appreciated what I had to offer.”
Los Tucanes De Tijuana put on a marvellous Mexican display, bringing their norteño tunes to the UK for the very first time. As Pitbull says, music is a universal language – and no language barriers could stop people loving their cowboy hats, brash leopard print shirts and bouncy accordion romps. “La Chona”, is a particularly big hit – it’s easy to see why it’s become the “official-unofficial Mexican world cup football song”, according to the band.
Pitbull’s own Globalization DJs Dan Hills and CJ.AllDayy also had crowds over at the East Stage boogieing in between the festivities.
Saturday saw Lewis Capaldi’s show with a celebratory feel to it. In 2019, he supported Ed Sheeran at the park and on Saturday he was back to headline – now an iconic star in his own right. The entire amphitheater was full of Capaldi lovers, from diehards at the barrier to viewers from the hill, shining their phone flashlights for “Something In The Heavens”.
The evening marked Capaldi’s return to Leeds and back and on stage with a world-class set after a break from touring for health reasons. From the beauty of “Grace” to an extravagant ‘rockstar’ guitar solo at the end of “Pointless” (“sometimes, you gotta shred it”), he clearly had a marvellous time.
By the time “Someone You Loved” swung around, Capaldi hinted that he is also cooking up a new album; noting that he hopes to return to Leeds soon.
Californian teen heart-throb Conan Gray swept across the stage like a new-age Peter Pan. In a billowing white top, he rushed out to the tune of “My World” – and the fans that had been camping out at the barrier all day were instantly eating out of the palm of his hand, singing every single word.
Lewis Capaldi’s pal Kerr Mercer, from Glasgow, opened up the mainstage with style: “What a Scottish lineup today. Me, Jacob Alon… that old guy, Lewis something…” Songs ranged from the groovy bassline of “Stop Me Dead” to the heart wrenching piano-led vulnerability of “Terrified”.
“I know everyone is buzzing and in a good mood and that, but this is probably the saddest thing you’ll ever hear…” he said, before cutting himself off with: “Nah, actually, it’s a Lewis Capaldi concert. I can sing the saddest song I like!”
Jacob Alon served up a set of delicate, fluttering folk songs, endearing himself even further to the audience by proudly wearing a Leeds United jersey, along with sparkly boots and a bedazzled baseball cap. American TikTok-sensation-turned-popstar Jessie Murph opened with a cover of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”, her country belle vocals build the tension as her white dress floats in the wind. The ‘butter-wouldn’t-melt’ image faded when “Touch Me Like A Gangster” kicked in, transforming her into a pop femme fatale.
On the East Stage, up-and-coming London acoustic singer Maya Lane charmed the audience with folk tunes, while American indie pop guitarist Ber performed cuts from her debut album, “Good, Like It Should Be”.
“I’ve lived in places like Norway and Minnesota, but moving here and studying at Leeds Conservatoire is when I fell in love with live music,” she said. “I’ve probably been to 100 shows in (Leeds venue) Oporto… I know how important this festival is for the community, so I’m so honoured to be involved.”
Indie rocker Nieve Ella unleashed tracks like “Drive” and the sucker-punch “Good Grace”. The three-day festival was closed by a DJ Yoda set celebrating the 1990s, mashing up cultural soundbites from “The Simpsons”, “Trainspotting” and “Pulp Fiction” with hip-hop and club tunes.
Photos by: Sophia Carey / JCrispin
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